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[kurnell]

One yesterday from a Philippine girl and today from a boiler room South African guy with some hot shares, so I assume that someone at the labour dept is selling contact details. These people call me 20-30 times a year and I am sure they will never give up. I think I will agree to meet with one of them as long as they send a sexy girl!!

[WarpSpeed]

I got harassed through my missus a couple of days ago with them calling her and saying initially they were calling from back home which got me concerned as it was 4:30 here so 4:30am back home and that raised concerns with family back there especially my elderly mother. The scared my wife too so that she gave them my number and then it when they called me, if that was intended to make me want to do any business with them it was all too dodgy and sneaky so I went off on the guy immediately once I knew his motives..

He tried to insinuate that one of my "friends" must have passed on my info when I inquired how he got it but my friends wouldn't do that without telling me first and okaying it with me and besides if it came through my friends they would not have needed to coerce my missus through panicking her to get my number T!@ts!

There is only a very limited number of acquaintances here who even have my personal info.. Personally I'd like to castrate the T@#t that has violated my trust and passed on our info without asking us first..

Edited by WarpSpeed, 2012-02-15 17:50:19.

[Thailand]

I tend to find the sex and travel response works quite well!

[CWMcMurray]

I just tell them that I do not take cold calls for any financial services... that if the services are any good, I will hear about them and contact them.

Most of the time this leaves them with nothing to say..

Once in a while some of the more persistant ones try to continue the pitch... I will then interupt them, saying .. Sorry to interupt you, but there is nothing you could say that would be effective, as I mentioned earlier I do not take any cold calls for any financial services.

Have never had any of the conversations ever get past that point...

[Bpuumike]

Thailand, on 2012-02-15 18:15:32, said:

I tend to find the sex and travel response works quite well!

Perfect response and mine too.

Problem is Thais (including our good ladies) are very susceptible to advertising in any form.

My best advice is tell her to sign nothing whatsoever without your approval. That does become very important when your property is in her name and she does not understand what she is signing, which a lot of our ladies don't.

The terms scam and rip-off come to mind constantly.

[SantiSuk]

No point in being rude or clever. No thanks not interested click is all that's needed.

[necronx99]

Ask them to hold the line for a moment, put the phone next to the radio and go back to whatever you were doing..

[samran]

You never know how these guys get your details. I have no work permit to renew or visa to extend but they still find me somehow, usually scouring company websites looking for foreign names or ringing t reception asking to speak to someone who is a foreign consultant at the company etc etc.

[Carlosm]

They got my details through an advert i'd placed on Bahtsold. It helps to be blunt with them and make sure they have NO illusions that cold calling won't work with you or they'll just pester you more.

[djayz]

SantiSuk, on 2012-02-16 04:36:38, said:

No point in being rude or clever. No thanks not interested click is all that's needed.

I've tried that approach with everybody from the Indians trying to sell cheap imitation watches to the little old ladies trying to sell handmade jewelery, wooden frogs but after you've said "No thanks, not interested" a millionth time it really is difficult not to be rude or clever... All these scams, sellers, etc. are just constantly "in your face/on the line".

[kurnell]

CWMcMurray, on 2012-02-15 22:10:48, said:

I just tell them that I do not take cold calls for any financial services... that if the services are any good, I will hear about them and contact them.

Most of the time this leaves them with nothing to say..

Once in a while some of the more persistant ones try to continue the pitch... I will then interupt them, saying .. Sorry to interupt you, but there is nothing you could say that would be effective, as I mentioned earlier I do not take any cold calls for any financial services.

Have never had any of the conversations ever get past that point...

This sounds like a winner. I have used the line "at the end of the month I have spent all my money on women and booze, and the rest I wasted" which gets a laugh, but they still harp on

[Soutpeel]

necronx99, on 2012-02-16 04:45:55, said:

Ask them to hold the line for a moment, put the phone next to the radio and go back to whatever you were doing..

For the more persistant ones I have told in the past that wasnt interested and they keep phoning me, I appear to relent, and agree to meet up at a time and place of my choosing and then just dont turn up.....rational is..they keep phoning me trying to waste my time so I will waste their time..

[DanielVanNiekerk]

Hi all,

I've been a Thai VISA member for while, but have not posted much as I don't frequent these pages for the same reasons others in my profession do. I just happen to see snippets on google's index about harassment and so I thought I'd check back in and see what the latest is !

I must admit, I do feel a bit sorry for you guys being pestered like this. I am qualified, but I personally went through 3 companies when I 1st arrived in BKK with my family about 2 years ago ALL using the same devious methods of gathering names and contact info. I kicked against it and lets just say I'm not very popular with local IFA's who still preaches the fact that "We've done it like this for the last 10 years" or what-ever. Even I get pestered !

Anyway, I just thought some of the comments are quite funny as I'm very familiar with any and all these methods some of these 'advisors' still use !

After getting fedup with the local modus operandi myself , I joined up with two long standing Thai farang residents and I'm now a director with a legit Thai Wealth Management company.

Cold caling is definitely a thing of the past, that's for sure. I do quite a bit of business on SKYPE across the world for that matter, and I think its really stupid for IFA companies to think people still fall for the "I got your number from John" , or telling the gatekeepers "I'm calling from Time Magazine with some free subscriptions....how many Farangs do you have in the office? Can I have their numbers?" etc...there are so many variants to this.

Granted, the ethical way is a LOT harder as the chancers out there harassing people DO get maybe 2  in 10 or 15 calls to convert into a meeting...BUT it does still contribute to what I've just read before I posted this: a LOT of peeved off people stuck on some database that will be used to train rookies for months to come !

I'm afraid the sweaty-, scripted-to-the-hilt-, white-knuckled, ex-washing machine salesman-, NOT experienced, parachuted in after a week long 'training' seminar (sure there's a few more descriptive terms!)  are here to stay...for while at least ! Yes, they will continue to somehow FIND contact numbers in ever-new  creative ways until some kind of legislation kicks in to regulate.

I would definitely campaign and support a movement towards this.

Be careful who you entrust your financial planning to. MOST of the IFA companies recommendations and solutions are usually 101% safe in itself, and the service providers / Life Companies are in highly regulated environments etc, BUT the problem comes with:

1) the type of advice given,
2) poor- uneducated fund selection on behalf of clients and
3) the poor or non existent service levels that often follows after commissions are collected and/or  indemnity periods( Claw back) are over

I've taken over a few clients from all over the world that were expats in Dubai or Thailand or Cambodia and bought some product from an IFA some years ago. Their investments are down, the 'advisor' they used to deal with is no longer there (no surprise !) and the list goes on. Nothing really wrong with the product, but the ingredients and mismanagement can ruin it for everyone.

I've seen some what I believe is some unfair online comments directed at service providers ie Royal Skandia, or Generali or Friend Provident or Royal London 360 blaming their products when it is in fact a IFA service and of portfolio management issue. Some of these service provider companies are over 300 Billion Euros strong, with over 3 million clients words wide...some of them VERY rich and successful clients. I'm sure they're not all idiots, surely.

Anyway, a bit off topic...just my 5 cents worth. I did the business out in Africa as an example, and although there is some cold calling, I've not seen the level of negativity and harassment I came into contact with in SE Asia.

Best to you all !
Dan

[Naam]

being harrassed by cold calling 20-30 times a year? gimme a break please! is it such a big effort to hang up the phone 20-30 times a year?

[BookMan]

DanielVanNiekerk, on 2012-02-26 16:40:58, said:

Hi all,

I've been a Thai VISA member for while, but have not posted much as I don't frequent these pages for the same reasons others in my profession do. I just happen to see snippets on google's index about harassment and so I thought I'd check back in and see what the latest is !

I must admit, I do feel a bit sorry for you guys being pestered like this. I am qualified, but I personally went through 3 companies when I 1st arrived in BKK with my family about 2 years ago ALL using the same devious methods of gathering names and contact info. I kicked against it and lets just say I'm not very popular with local IFA's who still preaches the fact that "We've done it like this for the last 10 years" or what-ever. Even I get pestered !

Anyway, I just thought some of the comments are quite funny as I'm very familiar with any and all these methods some of these 'advisors' still use !

After getting fedup with the local modus operandi myself , I joined up with two long standing Thai farang residents and I'm now a director with a legit Thai Wealth Management company.

Cold caling is definitely a thing of the past, that's for sure. I do quite a bit of business on SKYPE across the world for that matter, and I think its really stupid for IFA companies to think people still fall for the "I got your number from John" , or telling the gatekeepers "I'm calling from Time Magazine with some free subscriptions....how many Farangs do you have in the office? Can I have their numbers?" etc...there are so many variants to this.

Granted, the ethical way is a LOT harder as the chancers out there harassing people DO get maybe 2  in 10 or 15 calls to convert into a meeting...BUT it does still contribute to what I've just read before I posted this: a LOT of peeved off people stuck on some database that will be used to train rookies for months to come !

I'm afraid the sweaty-, scripted-to-the-hilt-, white-knuckled, ex-washing machine salesman-, NOT experienced, parachuted in after a week long 'training' seminar (sure there's a few more descriptive terms!)  are here to stay...for while at least ! Yes, they will continue to somehow FIND contact numbers in ever-new  creative ways until some kind of legislation kicks in to regulate.

I would definitely campaign and support a movement towards this.

Be careful who you entrust your financial planning to. MOST of the IFA companies recommendations and solutions are usually 101% safe in itself, and the service providers / Life Companies are in highly regulated environments etc, BUT the problem comes with:

1) the type of advice given,
2) poor- uneducated fund selection on behalf of clients and
3) the poor or non existent service levels that often follows after commissions are collected and/or  indemnity periods( Claw back) are over

I've taken over a few clients from all over the world that were expats in Dubai or Thailand or Cambodia and bought some product from an IFA some years ago. Their investments are down, the 'advisor' they used to deal with is no longer there (no surprise !) and the list goes on. Nothing really wrong with the product, but the ingredients and mismanagement can ruin it for everyone.

I've seen some what I believe is some unfair online comments directed at service providers ie Royal Skandia, or Generali or Friend Provident or Royal London 360 blaming their products when it is in fact a IFA service and of portfolio management issue. Some of these service provider companies are over 300 Billion Euros strong, with over 3 million clients words wide...some of them VERY rich and successful clients. I'm sure they're not all idiots, surely.

Anyway, a bit off topic...just my 5 cents worth. I did the business out in Africa as an example, and although there is some cold calling, I've not seen the level of negativity and harassment I came into contact with in SE Asia.

Best to you all !
Dan

Not exactly cold calling...but certainly a subtle sell of yourself..

[necronx99]

BookMan, on 2012-02-26 18:44:47, said:

Not exactly cold calling...but certainly a subtle sell of yourself..

Double reverse psych 101

[Furbie]

SantiSuk, on 2012-02-16 04:36:38, said:

No point in being rude or clever. No thanks not interested click is all that's needed.

+1

[Kananga]

I get them a lot. And they seem to come in waves. If its some poor filipina girl repeatedly reading a script I let her do her bit and tell her its ok for her 'senior financial consultant' to give me a call. They often get commission for just booking phone appointments so I dont mind helping them out. Can't be easy having people to tell you to fuc_k off all day.

If I get a call from a smarmy westerner I immediately interrupt them and say "I am more than happy to spend the next 30 minutes talking to you,  however before you start may I just point out that not only do I have no money, I am actually heavily in debt. Please proceed."

They usually then hang up on me.

[bino]

I love this:

"I'm a detective. You have just called a murder scene, and Mr. Bino is no longer with us. What was the nature of your relationship with Mr. Bino?? " 555555

Can't wait for someone to call me so that I can try it!

[mogandave]

I also like the "can you hold for a minute" routine, but I like to follow-up every thirty seconds or so with a “you still there? Yeah, hang on, , give me a sec…”

I think next time I’ll tell them I recently inherited twenty-two million USD, and I am having difficulty getting it out of the county. I would pay them 10% for their help. I’ll I need is their full name as it appears on the account, the account number and password…

[GreenSnapper]

If your phone has a red button - just push it.

[WarpSpeed]

SantiSuk, on 2012-02-16 04:36:38, said:

No point in being rude or clever. No thanks not interested click is all that's needed.

Plenty of point in being rude, it's very rude and personally intrusive to be harassed by these phone scammers/solicitors who have absconded with my personal information coerced from untrustworthy sources..

Edited by WarpSpeed, 2012-03-01 00:12:18.

[WarpSpeed]

mogandave, on 2012-02-29 15:11:59, said:

I also like the "can you hold for a minute" routine, but I like to follow-up every thirty seconds or so with a “you still there? Yeah, hang on, , give me a sec…”

I think next time I’ll tell them I recently inherited twenty-two million USD, and I am having difficulty getting it out of the county. I would pay them 10% for their help. I’ll I need is their full name as it appears on the account, the account number and password…

Thanks for the tip I like your thinking.. Though they usually get my blood boiling before I think that far ahead, now I have a plan though...

[WarpSpeed]

Furbie, on 2012-02-28 12:26:35, said:

SantiSuk, on 2012-02-16 04:36:38, said:

No point in being rude or clever. No thanks not interested click is all that's needed.

+1

-2 As my first post indicated I'm mostly miffed at the slimy, scammer like approach of the solicitors saying they were from my home country and initially going through my missus to gain my info.. That is unacceptable and required a good, verbal gonad kicking...

Edited by WarpSpeed, 2012-03-01 00:19:06.

[ThaiPauly]

bino, on 2012-02-28 14:31:15, said:

I love this:

"I'm a detective. You have just called a murder scene, and Mr. Bino is no longer with us. What was the nature of your relationship with Mr. Bino?? " 555555

Can't wait for someone to call me so that I can try it!

bino, on 2012-02-28 14:31:15, said:

I love this:

"I'm a detective. You have just called a murder scene, and Mr. Bino is no longer with us. What was the nature of your relationship with Mr. Bino?? " 555555

Can't wait for someone to call me so that I can try it!

I tried this once, never got as far as the "Detective" got before the tele-marketeer put the phone down, but it got me out of the system for about a year till they sold my details to another company.